The
Swiss Armed ForcesSwiss Armed Forces (German: Schweizer Armee, French: Armée
suisse, Italian: Esercito svizzero, Romanisch: Armada svizra) operates
on land, in the air, and in international waters. Under the country's
militia system, professional soldiers constitute about 5
percent[citation needed] of the military and the rest are conscripts
or volunteers aged 19 to 34 (in some cases up to 50). Because of
Switzerland's long history of neutrality, the armed forces do not take
part in conflicts in other countries, but it does participate in
international peacekeeping missions.
SwitzerlandSwitzerland is part of the NATO
Partnership for PeacePartnership for Peace programme.[4]
The structure of the Swiss militia system stipulates that the soldiers
keep their own personal equipment, including all personally assigned
weapons, at home (until 2007 this also included ammunition[5]).
Compulsory military service applies to all male Swiss citizens, with
women serving voluntarily. Males usually receive initial orders at the
age of 18 for military conscription eligibility screening. About
two-thirds of young Swiss men are found suitable for service, while
alternative service exists for those found unsuitable.[6] Annually,
approximately 20,000 persons are trained in basic training for 18
weeks (23 weeks for special forces).
The reform "Army XXI" was adopted by popular vote in 2003. It replaced
the previous model "Army 95", reducing manpower from 400,000 to about
200,000 personnel, 120,000 receiving periodic military training and
80,000 reservists who have completed their total military training
requirements.[7]

The land component of the
Swiss Armed ForcesSwiss Armed Forces originated from the
cantonal troops of the Old Swiss Confederacy, called upon in cases of
external threats by the
TagsatzungTagsatzung or by the canton in distress. In
the federal treaty of 1815, the
TagsatzungTagsatzung prescribed cantonal troops
to put a contingent of 2% of the population of each canton at the
federation's disposition, amounting to a force of some 33,000 men. The
cantonal armies were converted into the federal army (Bundesheer) with
the constitution of 1848. From this time, it was illegal for the
individual cantons to declare war or to sign capitulations or peace
agreements. Paragraph 13 explicitly prohibited the federation from
sustaining a standing army, and the cantons were allowed a maximum
standing force of 300 each (not including the Landjäger corps, a kind
of police force). Paragraph 18 declared the "obligation" of every
Swiss citizenSwiss citizen to serve in the federal army if conscripted
(Wehrpflicht), setting its size at 3% of the population plus a reserve
of one and one half that number, amounting to a total force of some
80,000.

The first complete mobilization, under the command of Hans Herzog, was
triggered by the
Franco-Prussian WarFranco-Prussian War in 1871. In 1875, the army was
called in to crush a strike of workers at the Gotthard tunnel. Four
workers were killed and 13 were severely wounded.
Paragraph 19 of the revised constitution of 1874 extended the
definition of the federal army to every able-bodied male citizen,
swelling the size of the army (at least in theory) from under 150,000
to more than 700,000, with population growth during the 20th century
rising further to some 1.5 million, the second largest armed force per
capita after the Israeli Defence Forces.
A major manoeuvre commanded in 1912 by Ulrich Wille, a reputed
Germanophile, convinced visiting European heads of state, in
particular Kaiser Wilhelm II, of the efficacy and determination of
Swiss defences.[8] Wille was subsequently put in command of the second
complete mobilization in 1914, and
SwitzerlandSwitzerland escaped invasion in the
course of World War I. Wille also ordered the suppression of the 1918
general strike (Landesstreik) with military force. Three workers were
killed, and a rather larger number of soldiers died of the Spanish flu
during mobilization. In 1932, the army was called to suppress an
anti-fascist demonstration in Geneva. The troops shot dead 13
demonstrators, wounding another 65. This incident long damaged the
army's reputation, leading to persistent calls for its abolition among
left-wing politicians. In both the 1918 and the 1932 incidents, the
troops deployed were consciously selected from rural regions such as
the Berner Oberland, fanning the enmity between the traditionally
conservative rural population and the urban working class. The third
complete mobilization of the army took place during
World War IIWorld War II under
the command of
Henri GuisanHenri Guisan (see also
SwitzerlandSwitzerland during the World
Wars). The
Patrouille des GlaciersPatrouille des Glaciers race, created to test the abilities
of soldiers, was created during the war.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the armed forces were organised according to
the "Armee 61" structure.
Since 1989, there have been several attempts to curb military activity
or even abolish the armed forces altogether. A notable referendum on
the subject was held on 26 November 1989 and, although defeated, did
see a significant percentage of the voters in favour of such an
initiative.[9] However, a similar referendum, called for before, but
held shortly after the
September 11 attacksSeptember 11 attacks in 2001 in the US, was
defeated by over 77% of voters.[10]
In 1989, the status of the army as a national icon was shaken by a
popular initiative aiming at its complete dissolution (see: Group for
a
SwitzerlandSwitzerland without an Army) receiving 35.6% support. This triggered
a series of reforms and, in 1995, the number of troops was reduced to
400,000 ("Armee 95"). Article 58.1 of the 1999 constitution repeats
that the army is "in principle" organized as a militia, implicitly
allowing a small number of professional soldiers. A second initiative
aimed at the army's dissolution in late 2001 received a mere 21.9%
support.[10] Nevertheless, the army was shrunk again in 2004, to
220,000 men ("Armee XXI"), including the reserves.
In 2016, the Swiss Federal Assembly voted to further reduce the army
from 140,000 men to 100,000 men, reducing the time of basic training
from 21 weeks to 18, but also to increase the military budget by 2.4
billion Swiss francs.[11]
Structure[edit]
Further information: Military ranks of the Swiss Armed Forces

The armed forces consist of 134,886 people on active duty (in
SwitzerlandSwitzerland called Angehöriger der Armee, shortly AdA, engl.: Member
of the Army), of which 4,230 are professionals, with the rest being
conscripts or volunteers.[12] Women, for whom military service is
voluntary, numbered 1,050: less than 1% of the total, but 25% of
career soldiers.[12] Once decided to serve, they have the same rights
and duties as their male colleagues, and they can join all services,
including combat units. Recruits are generally instructed in their
native language; however, the small number of Romansh-speaking
recruits are instructed in German.
In contrast to most other comparable armed forces, officer candidates
are usually not career regulars: after seven weeks of basic training,
selected recruits are offered the possibility of a cadre function.
Officer candidate schools take place separately from
NCOsNCOs training,
but
NCOsNCOs have the possibility of becoming officers later on.[13] There
are currently 17,506 officers and 22,650
NCOsNCOs in the Swiss Armed
Forces.[12] Those of higher rank serve for more time each year; an
ordinary soldier may serve 365 days over 30 years, while a
high-ranking officer may serve 2,000 before retiring. Each promotion
requires more time, which is known as "paying your grade". Companies
subsidize military training by continuing to pay their employees, who
list their ranks and responsibilities on their résumés.[14]

In peacetime, the armed forces are led by the Chief of the Armed
Forces (Chef der Armee), who reports to the head of the Federal
Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports and to the Swiss
Federal Council as a whole. The current Chief of the Armed Forces is
Lieutenant-GeneralLieutenant-General (Korpskommandant) Philippe Rebord. Lt-Gen Rebord
replaced
Lieutenant-GeneralLieutenant-General (Korpskommandant)
André BlattmannAndré Blattmann on 1
January 2017.
In times of crisis or war, the Federal Assembly elects a full General
(OF-9) as
Commander-in-ChiefCommander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces (Oberbefehlshaber der
Armee). The rank is distinct and particular, as it is associated
exclusively with wartime fighting or a national crisis due to wartime
fighting among the neighbours on the border.[14] In addition, in
SwitzerlandSwitzerland the word General itself is distinct and particular, as the
subordinate appointments of general-officer status omit the word
itself.
Throughout Swiss history, there have only been 4 officers formally
designated as General:[14]

In Switzerland, the word General is reserved for the wartime, or
emergency, Commander-in-Chief, so the subordinate officers who would
have had the title of 'general' in other armies have alternative
designations to describe the appointment:

The distinctive feature of their rank insignia are traditionally
stylized edelweiss rank-insignia. One exception, however, is that when
Swiss officers are involved in peacekeeping missions abroad, they are
often given temporary ranks that do not exist in the Swiss Army, to
give them rank-styles readily understood by foreign officers. For
example, the head of the Swiss delegation at the NNSC in
KoreaKorea (see
below) had a rank of major general.
Army[edit]
Under "Armee 61" the Army was organised into Field Army Corps 1, 2,
and 4, and Mountain Army Corps 3. This structure was superseded by the
"Armee 95" and thereafter the "Armee XXI" structures.
Since the Army XXI reform in 2004, the basic structure of the Army has
been reorganised in the following units: infantry brigades (2 and 5);
mountain infantry brigades (9 and 12); armoured brigades (1 and
11).[12] Additionally two large reserve brigades (Infantry Brigade 7
and Mountain Brigade 10) exist. Four territorial divisions link the
Army with the cantons by coordinating territorial tasks inside of
their sector and are immediately responsible for the security of their
regions, depending only on the decisions of the Federal Council.[20]

Grenadier carrying a Stgw 90

Infantry squad and Mowag Piranha during presentation

Swiss soldier in combat uniform during house search demonstration 2006
in Thun

The
Swiss Air ForceSwiss Air Force has been traditionally a militia-based service,
including its pilots, with an inventory of approximately 456 aircraft
whose lengthy service lives (many for more than 30 years) overlapped
several eras. However, beginning with its separation from the Army in
1996, the Air Force has been downsizing; it now has a strength of
approximately 270 fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, and is moving
towards a smaller, more professional force.
The primary front-line air-defence fleet consists of 30 F/A-18 Hornets
(34 aircraft were originally purchased, with three F/A-18D and one
F/A-18C lost in crashes) organized into three squadrons (11, 17 and
18) along with 53 F-5 Tiger IIs (98 F-5E and 12 F-5F originally
purchased). In October 2008, the Swiss Hornet fleet reached the 50,000
flight hour milestone.[22]
In peacetime the
Swiss Air ForceSwiss Air Force does not maintain 24/7 operational
readiness status, due to the limited budget and staff available. The
Swiss Air ForceSwiss Air Force is now working on extending the operational times,
aiming to be maintaining readiness for two armed jet fighters
round-the-clock in 2020.[23] The difficulty of defending Swiss
airspace is illustrated by the mountainous character and the small
size of the country; the maximum extension of
SwitzerlandSwitzerland is
348 km, a distance that can be flown in a little over 20 minutes
by commercial aircraft. Furthermore, Switzerland's policy of
neutrality means that they are unlikely to be deployed elsewhere
(except for training exercises).
Intelligence gathering[edit]
Main article: Swiss intelligence agencies

Onyx antennas in Leuk

The Swiss military department maintains the Onyx intelligence
gathering system, similar to but much smaller than the international
Echelon system.
The Onyx system was launched in 2000 in order to monitor both civil
and military communications, such as telephone, fax or Internet
traffic carried by satellite. It was completed in late 2005 and
currently consists of three interception sites, all based in
Switzerland. In a way similar to Echelon, Onyx uses lists of keywords
to filter the intercepted content for information of interest.
On 8 January 2006, the Swiss newspaper
SonntagsblickSonntagsblick (Sunday edition
of the
BlickBlick newspaper) published a secret report produced by the
Swiss government using data intercepted by Onyx.[citation needed] The
report described a fax sent by the Egyptian department of Foreign
Affairs to the Egyptian
EmbassyEmbassy in London, and described the existence
of secret detention facilities (black sites) run by the CIA in Central
and Eastern Europe. The Swiss government did not officially confirm
the existence of the report, but started a judiciary procedure for
leakage of secret documents against the newspaper on 9 January
2006.[citation needed]
Lakes flotilla[edit]
"Swiss Navy" redirects here. For the Swiss Merchant Navy, see Merchant
Marine of Switzerland.
Several sizeable lakes which lie across international borders are
patrolled by a flotilla of military patrol boats. This maritime branch
of the Army not only maintains the patrols but also serve in a
search-and-rescue role.
During the Second World War,
SwitzerlandSwitzerland fielded the Type 41 class of
patrol boats, armed with an anti-tank gun (later replaced by 20mm
auto-cannons) and dual machine guns. Nine units were commissioned
between 1941 and 1944. These boats were upgraded in 1964, notably
receiving radars, radios and modern armament, and were kept in service
into the 1980s, the last being decommissioned in late 1983.[24]
The contemporary force utilises the Aquarius-class (Patrouillenboot
80) riverine patrol boats, which are operated by Motorboat Company 10
of the Corps of Engineers and which patrol lakes Geneva, Lucerne,
Lugano, Maggiore and Constance.[25]
The term 'Admiral of the Swiss Navy' is sometimes used metaphorically
to describe a self-important person but it is regarded as US Military
slang and unused in Switzerland.[26] The lakes flotilla has no
admiral, as it is only a company-sized unit of the Swiss Army.
See also: Brown-water navy

Boats of the Swiss Motorboat Company

The Spiez, a Type 41 patrol boat, on display at the Swiss Museum of
Transport.

Aquarius-class patrol boat, Type 80

Conscription[edit]
Main article:
ConscriptionConscription in Switzerland
SwitzerlandSwitzerland has mandatory military service for all able-bodied male
citizens, who are conscripted when they reach the age of majority,[27]
though women may volunteer for any position.[28] People determined
unfit for service, where fitness is defined as "satisfying physically,
intellectually and psychological requirements for military service or
civil protection service and being capable of accomplishing these
services without harming oneself or others",[29] are exempted from
service but pay a 3% additional annual income tax until the age of 30,
unless they are affected by a disability.[30] Almost 20% of all
conscripts were found unfit for military or civilian service in 2008;
the rate is generally higher in urban cantons such as Zurich and
Geneva than in the rural ones.[31] Swiss citizens living abroad are
generally exempted from conscription in time of peace[32] while dual
citizenship by itself does not grant such exemption.[33]
On 22 September 2013, a referendum was held that aimed to abolish
conscription in Switzerland.[34] With a turnout of 47.0% on this
particular question, over 73% voted against eliminating conscription.
Roles[edit]
The prime role of the
Swiss Armed ForcesSwiss Armed Forces is Home Defence. Switzerland
is not part of any multinational war-fighting structure, but
individual Armed Forces members do take part in international
missions.
PeacekeepingPeacekeeping overseas[edit]

Operating from a neutral country, Switzerland's army does not take
part in armed conflicts in other countries. However, over the years,
the Swiss army has been part of several peacekeeping missions around
the world.
From 1996 to 2001, the
Swiss ArmySwiss Army was present in Bosnia and
Herzegovina with headquarters in Sarajevo. Its mission, part of the
Swiss
PeacekeepingPeacekeeping Missions, was to provide logistic and medical
support to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
(OSCE), protection duties and humanitarian demining. The mission was
named SHQSU, standing for Swiss Headquarters Support Unit to BiH. It
was composed of 50 to 55 elite Swiss soldiers under contract for six
to 12 months. None of the active soldiers were armed during the
duration of the mission. The Swiss soldiers were recognized among the
other armies present on the field by their distinctive yellow beret.
The SHQSU is not the same as the more publicized Swisscoy, which is
the
Swiss ArmySwiss Army Mission to Kosovo.
SwitzerlandSwitzerland is part of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission
(NNSC), which was created to monitor the armistice between North and
South Korea. Since the responsibilities of the NNSC have been much
reduced over the past few years, only five people are still part of
the Swiss delegation, which is located near the Korean
DMZ.[35][36][37]
Military and civil defence[edit]
After World War II,
SwitzerlandSwitzerland began building homes with
40 cm-thick concrete ceilings that might survive firebombing of
the type that destroyed Hamburg and Dresden. In the 1960s they began
constructing radiation and blast shelters that could survive one to
three bars of pressure from a nuclear explosion.[38] Building codes
require blast shelters, which are said to be able to accommodate 114%
of the Swiss population.[39] Small towns have large underground
parking garages that can serve as sealed community shelters.[38] There
are also hospitals and command centres in such shelters, aimed at
keeping the country running in case of emergencies. Every family or
rental agency has to pay a replacement tax to support these shelters,
or alternatively own a personal shelter in their place of
residence;[40] many private shelters serve as wine cellars and
closets.[38]

Thousands of tunnels, highways, railroads, and bridges are built with
tank traps and primed with demolition charges to be used against
invading forces; often, the civilian engineer who designed the bridge
plans the demolition as a military officer. Hidden guns are aimed to
prevent enemy forces from attempting to rebuild.[14] Permanent
fortifications were established in the Alps, as bases from which to
retake the fertile valleys after a potential invasion. They include
underground air bases that are adjacent to normal runways; the
aircraft, crew and supporting material are housed in the caverns.
However, a significant part of these fortifications was dismantled
between the 1980s and during the "Army 95" reformation. The most
important fortifications are located at Saint-Maurice, Gotthard Pass
area and Sargans. The fortification on the left side of the
RhôneRhône at
Saint-Maurice is no longer used by the army since the beginning of the
1990s. The right side (Savatan) is still in use.
During the Cold War the military expected that any invasion would
likely come from the northeast, as the Soviet Union associated the
country with NATO despite its stated neutrality.[14] The Swiss
government thought that the aim of an invasion would be to control the
economically important transport routes through the Swiss Alps, namely
the Gotthard, the Simplon and
Great St. BernardGreat St. Bernard passes, because
SwitzerlandSwitzerland does not possess any significant natural resources.
Equipment[edit]
Main article: List of equipment of the Swiss Armed Forces
See also[edit]